The schools taking part decided it was a great idea to give the place a tidy up to mark the historic 900th anniversary since the Charter of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen was granted.

And the pupils from the schools set themselves a target of carrying out 900 hours of litter picking before the schools have their Easter break.

One of the schools taking part was Burgh Primary which had 11 teachers with groups of up to 140 pupils taking part in clean-up activities.

Whilst the younger years litter picked in the school grounds the P5 to P7s went out around the local area including Rutherglen Main Street and train station. 

P6/7 teacher Heather Wiggins said: “This was a great opportunity for our children to learn the importance of putting litter into the bin, and to understand the impact littering can have on our local community and our wildlife too.

“Children were shocked at how much litter there was around our area, and they are now committed to doing their bit to help keep Rutherglen clean, not just this year but always.” 

Grow 73 worked with all the primary schools, co-ordinating their efforts and passing out all the litter picking equipment provided by the council.

Colin Reid, the council’s Grounds and Waste Services Operations Manager, said: “We are always delighted to assist schools in any clean-up projects they are undertaking.

“Getting the message across that it is unacceptable to litter and learning that dropping rubbish is not just unsightly but has a real negative impact on the area you live in can only be a good thing for our young people.”

The clean-up work is also in aid of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s #SpringCleanScotland, which runs from 13 March – 24 April this year.

The council has more information for local communities and volunteer groups as well as a community clean up form.

The council provides bags and litter sticks as well as arranging for the uplift of the bags once the local clean-up has been completed.

For more information please go to our Bins and recycling pages.

The schools taking part were:

• St Columbkille's Primary School
• Bankhead Primary School
• Cathkin Primary School
• Burnside Primary School
• St Anthony's Primary School
• Calderwood Primary School
• Burgh Primary School
• Spittal Primary School
• Loch Primary School
• St Mark's Primary School